


After the Storm

by LadyEkaterina



Category: God's Own Country
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Friendship, M/M, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 16:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18594973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyEkaterina/pseuds/LadyEkaterina
Summary: After the end of God's Own Country, Johnny and Gheorghe go to the pub and meet up with Robyn. Johnny has to clear a bad memory but comes to a new realisation.





	After the Storm

“Johnny!” Called Robyn. He looked over. His school friend was walking up to meet him. He turned to Gheorghe. “I’m just going to bob over and say hi.” He knew Gheorghe wouldn’t want to come as he saw Gheorghe's face darkening - he had recognised Robyn. “Mmhmm” He stayed, glaring at his boots and rolling another cigarette. As Johnny walked over Gheorghe clenched and unclenched his fists. He felt his whole body tense up as he lit his cigarette. 

“Hi Robyn. Are you back from university already?”

“Yeah. All done. And you know me mam always wants me home.” she laughed. “Listen Johnny, are you going to be around next week at all? Only my mate Matt,” she smirked at Johnny. “You remember Matt? Anyway he’s coming over. I’m sure he’d like to see you again.” Again the smirk. Johnny shook his head. “No, Robyn. Not going to happen.” His refusal was firm and flat.  
“Awwww. Don't be boring. Why not Johnny?”  
He looked straight in her eyes. Here we go. “Because of Gheorghe.” He gestured. Robyn looked over at the dark brooding man. “Oh.” said Robyn. Then “Ohhhhh.” And then incredulous ”Him? You and him?”  
“Aye” Johnny accepted the tone. He was also amazed that Gheorghe stayed with him.  
She burst into a huge grin “You’re a lucky bastard Johnny Boy”  
A small smile played on Johns lips. “Aye well...”  
“Can I meet him?”  
“Um I’m not sure that’s such a great idea tonight. He’s not in a good mood.” Johnny looked over at the scowling man. “And I don’t think he’ll want to meet you. At least not tonight."  
“So I see. What exactly did I do?”  
Johnny dropped his head.  
“The thing is he remembers you from last time you were in...”  
“The thing is we were sort of together when I... when Matt... when we.....”  
Robyn stared at him in appalled disbelief.  
“You has that gorgeous long drink of dark brooding sexy water and you fucked it up for a tumble with Matt? John Saxby you really know how to screw your life up don’t you?” Her voice was raised and Johnny thought Gheorghe may have heard some of that. He hoped he might.  
“He left, Robyn. Went to Scotland. I went after him and I managed to get him back but I ain’t gonna do anything that might fuck that up. So if you and your friends are here next week, we’ll stay away."  
“You’re all right. I reckon I’ll tell him not to bother. And then hopefully I’ll see both of you next week. But now...”  
Robyn pushed past him and marched up to Gheorghe.  
“Hi. I’m Robyn. I went to school with Johnny. You’re Gheorghe right?”  
“Yes.” Gheorghe was still looking at the floor and his voice was sullen. Robyn wasn’t having any of it.  
“Johnny’s explained why you might not be happy to see me. But it’s just going to be me. No one else.“  
Gheorghe raised his head and looked at Robyn. He started to relax his fists and his body.  
“So are you also the reason our Johnny isn’t three sheets to the wind?”  
Gheorghe looked confused. He turned to Johnny “Three sheets John?”  
“She means are you the reason I’m not getting pissed every night.” he turned to Robyn “Yeah. He is. He’s the reason for a lot of things.” He put his hand in Gheorghe’s possessively interlacing their fingers. Gheorghe smiled then and Robyn was amazed at how he lit up at Johnny’s words and touch. Johnny’s answering smile was equally surprising. Bloody hell she thought. They’re in love! I wonder if they know?

It was as if some test had been passed and barriers dropped. The three chatted amiably until Robyn announced she was ready for a pint.  
"You two coming?"  
“Nah, Come on Gheorghe .” said Johnny. “Time for home.”  
“Bloody hell! John Saxby saying no to a pint!”  
“It was nice to meet you Robyn” said Gheorghe and he held out his hand. She ignored it to give him a hug.  
“You too Gheorghe”. Then she hugged Johnny murmuring in his ear “He’s lovely. You jammy jammy bastard” then she pulled his head close to her mouth to whisper “Don’t fuck this up Johnny Boy. Tell him how you feel.”  
Johnny stared at her in horror. How could she know how he felt when he was still trying to figure it out? Was it that obvious? Did Gheorghe know? It was too early. Too soon. His ears turned pink then red and hot to touch. He managed a nod, zipped up his parka and followed Gheorghe out to the jeep.

When they got into the car Johnny turned to Gheorghe. “You all right?”  
Gheorghe smiled “Yes John. I’m all right. I thought maybe there might be others there and I was jealous.”  
Johnny knew who “others“ referred to. “I told her everything. There won’t be any surprise visitors and so you know, she thinks I was a total arse and I’m the luckiest man alive.”  
Gheorghe smiled at that.  
“Are you all right, John?”  
“Me? I’m grand why?”  
“It looked like something she said upset you when we were leaving.”  
“Oh. No. I’m fine.”  
Gheorghe knew better than to push.  
He looked out of the window “I think we want to get home soon. A storm is coming”  
Johnny nodded and stepped on the accelerator. 

They arrived back at the farmhouse as the first huge raindrops started to fall. The wind was already getting up. Johnny let them into the farmhouse and he was surprised to see his dad and nan still up. He looked at the clock. It was only 10pm. Deirdre looked up as the walked in “You're home early.”  
“Aye.“ said Johnny. “Wanted to get back before the storm.“ He wasn’t going to add that he wanted to get Gheorghe naked as soon as possible but he smiled at the thought of it.  
Deirdre was approving. She had noticed that since Johnny had brought back the boy, he’d been drinking a lot less and doing a lot more. “Aye well can you help me get your father up to bed?”  
“Of course, nan."  
The two of them were either side of Martin helping him up the narrow stairway s and into bed. Truth be told, Gheorghe could probably have carried him much easier but Martin would have never allowed such familiarity and Gheorghe understood that so he busied himself making tea. He looked in the cupboard. There were chocolate bourbons. He smiled, realising that Deirdre had probably bought them specially for him. He took two out of the packet and put them on the side.  
After a while Johnny came back down “Nan said good night. She's off to bed”  
“Ah. Would you like tea?” “Please." Gheorghe poured the tea and looked up as lightning flashed. Remembering his childhood, Johnny counted under his breath until the thunder clap. The storm was near. He hoped the animals weren’t too bothered.  
They sat at the small table with their tea and a biscuit. Johnny was taking sneaky glances at Gheorghe who seemed preoccupied by the weather. Johnny was unaware he was tapping the mug until Gheorghe put his hands over John's. “Stop” He said quietly. “What is wrong?”  
“It’s jus something Robyn said.” mumbled John. “I need to think it through” His words were drowned by an almighty crash from outside. The boys looked at each other in horror. “The barn!” All thoughts of personal feelings forgotten, the two grabbed their boots and their jackets and legged it out to the barn. The doors had been blown open and one of them was hanging off its hinges. The two worked together to try and get a temporary door in place using the bits of wood they had lying about. The cows were nervous, they could both feel it. Once the barn was secure, Gheorghe went to each one murmuring gentle phrases in English and Romanian. Stroking their heads, calming them. Johnny watched him as he finished securing the door.  
_I bloody love you _, he suddenly thought. That was it. His ears tingled at the realisation that that was what Robyn was referring to. That’s what she meant.__  
Gheorghe looked up from his ministrations. And smiled at Johnny. “All right?”  
“Aye. I think we’re secure. But we’re gonna have to be up extra early tomorrow. It won’t hold more than a day or two.”  
It was 1am in the morning when they locked up the house, left their jackets and boots in the hall and walked up to their room. 

____

Too late for anything but a quick kiss and a cuddle. But Johnny lay on his back for a while his eyes wide open . Then he turned over and whispered.  
“Gheorghe?”  
There was no reply.  
“I love you.”  
There was silence and then, from the darkness he heard “You’re a freak.”  
Johnny’s smiled into the darkness and then replied.  
“Faggot.” He giggled  
“Fuck off. Faggot.”

Gheorghe moved then so he was nose to nose with Johnny. He nuzzled him before saying quietly but clearly “I love you too, John”

They kissed then. Chaste and gentle like their first kiss had been. Then Johnny took Gheorghe’s face in his hands and kissed him again. They wrapped their arms and legs around each other, lips and tongues tasting as the rain hammered down on the roof, the thunder rolled away.


End file.
